Something to Talk About
by Jet Wolf
Summary: Rei and Minako have a secret, but perhaps not for much longer.


**Standard disclaimer:** The characters aren't mine. This should come as no surprise. I am simply a teller of stories that occasionally claw their way desperately out of my head.

**Notes:** Rei's birthday brought in Rei Birthday 'Fic Day over on my Tumblr. This third entry is an assortment of prompts, which I'll list at the end to make the story flow a bit better.

_(17 April 2014)_

* * *

**Something to Talk About**

Karaoke was happening. Loud and vigorous and complete with an improvised dance routine.

Neither Rei nor Minako knew that was going to happen, but if they'd been told, neither would have been surprised. It wasn't especially different from battle. The ability to pick up on each other's subtle cues, to adjust on the fly for a better advantage, to be support or take the lead as the situation demanded.

Dancing was just fighting with a better soundtrack.

The song came to a crashing end and the crowd burst into enthusiastic cheers.

Dancing had a better audience response, too.

Rei's grin threatened to split her face, and she saw her joy and pride reflected in Minako. They high-fived, much to the delight of the spectators, and sauntered off the stage arm-in-arm.

"We were awesome!" Minako said, and flopped back into her seat.

Rei downed her drink in one gulp and slammed the glass on the table. "We ARE awesome."

Minako's reply was lost in the cheers as the next (doubtless inferior) performer took the stage. She leaned forward and tried again. "We really should invite the others one of these times. They'll love it!"

"I'm not so sure I can see Ami-chan up there," Rei replied, smiling at the thought. "But it would be worth it to try."

"I meant they'd love US," said Minako. "But that too, sure."

The next song began, and the performer started a mournful and slightly off-key ballad. Minako cocked her head and shot Rei a look. Her eyes flicked to the stage and back at Rei. Rei raised an eyebrow in reply and smirked.

Minako was immediately out of her seat. She plucked the songbook from the hands of a lanky college-age guy at the next table and blew him an uninvested kiss at his surprised "Hey!" She dropped the open book in front of Rei and pulled her chair over so they could both look.

"What do you think?" Minako asked, pushing her cheek into Rei's shoulder.

Rei made no effort to move Minako as she flipped through the pages. "A duet maybe?"

"It has to be stirring!" Minako reached through the space between Rei's arm and her body to turn the page, then ran her finger down the song choices. "We need to show these 'singers'" – Minako went so far as to make air quotes – "what love is all about!"

"Ahh, and you're just the couple to show us."

Rei and Minako snapped their heads up at the familiar voice.

"Haruka-san! Michiru-san!"

Sure enough, Haruka and Michiru were standing at the table, looking every bit as fabulous as ever. Something wafted behind them in the breeze of the ceiling fans. A rose petal, or a discarded napkin, it was difficult to tell in this lighting, but the effect was the same either way.

Haruka lifted two fingers in greeting. "Enjoying your night out, ladies?"

"Oh yeah!" Minako said with one-thousand percent enthusiasm.

Rei said nothing. She was beginning to get a bad feeling about this.

That feeling increased when Haruka and Michiru each pulled an empty chair from nearby tables and joined them. Rei felt a sudden need to put in their next song request (which song? didn't matter), but Minako was practically hugging her arm and a smooth escape would be difficult.

Then the opportunity vanished, and Rei was trapped.

Haruka sat back in her chair, looking aggravatingly comfortable to Rei's eyes. "Cosy place," she said, taking in the décor.

Minako swirled her drink and nodded. "We like it."

"I'm surprised to see you two here," Rei said. She hoped it sounded aloof. It didn't.

"Oh, we like trying new things," Michiru said. She smiled her very polite, very pointed smile, and it wrapped around Rei like a swimsuit made of concrete. "You too, I see, Rei-chan!"

Rei wasn't sure how to respond, but she was absolutely going to respond anyway when Minako beat her to it. "Oh this isn't new," she said, sipping through an entirely inadequate tiny straw.

Michiru's eyes had never left Rei, and she tilted her head and smiled knowingly. Rei felt her jaw twitch. "I see!" Michiru said, as though the mysteries of the universe had just unfolded before her.

"So where are the others?" Haruka asked, making a show of looking around the bar.

Minako put her finger to her lips. "This is our little secret!"

"Ahhh. Haruka gave Rei and Minako a huge, reassuring nod and wink.

Michiru however put a delicate hand to her chest and looked at Rei with wide eyes. "Keeping secrets from your Princess, Rei-chan? Such a surprise!"

Rei wondered what damned good it did her to be psychic if she didn't get the heads up to leave before things like this happened.

"What Usagi-chan doesn't know won't hurt her, right?" said Minako, but her voice trailed off. The singer sounded like the end was near, and she was already turning in her seat to check.

Michiru shot Rei questioning look. Rei clenched her eyes shut on the off-chance that she might develop a new power-up that would allow her to be anywhere else in the world.

At the sound of applause, Rei realized with disappointment that she was in exactly the same place. The singer had finished the ballad and Minako gave two cursory claps before standing up and tugging Rei's arm. "Quick, let's get up there!"

Haruka also got to her feet. "Yeah, don't let us keep you," she said, offering her arm to Michiru.

"Absolutely," agreed Michiru, also rising. "Your secrets are safe with us."

"WE'RE NOT—" Rei began, but then she was yanked from her chair and halfway across the bar. By the time she looked back, Haruka and Michiru had already disappeared.

Rei seriously hated them sometimes.

Minako was hurriedly flipping through the book, trying to make the next selection before anyone could jump in front of them. "Duet you said, right?"

Karaoke was the last thing on Rei's mind now. "Minako, didn't you hear them! They think we're—"

"—dating, and you're totally cheating on Usagi. I know, I was there."

"Don't you care?!"

The songbook dropped from Minako's fingers. She spun around and squeezed Rei's face between her palms. Rei tried glaring, which was not an altogether successful venture, given the circumstances.

"REI. OUR PUBLIC NEEDS US."

For a moment it seemed Rei would argue, then her expression became determined. She nodded once, firmly if kind of awkwardly with her face all smooshed up like that. "A duet," she said with muffled speech.

Staring intently, Minako pressed their foreheads together and also nodded once. She let go and turned back to the book, ready to attack it if it dared produce anything less than the perfect song.

She felt an arm slide around her waist and then Rei's voice purred in her ear.

"Make it a sexy one. If Usagi's going to hear about it, let's see how much we can freak her out."

Minako's grin was pure evil delight as she flipped the page.

* * *

Primarily prompted by "Rei, while out on the town with Minako, gets teased by Michiru and Haruka for two-timing on Usagi", with a few bonus prompts that wanted karaoke.


End file.
